How the New York Rangers choked this trade deadline
“Was it good for you?” is a terribly insecure sentence, but that’s exactly what New York Rangers fans are asking each other? “Was the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline good for you?” Or for the Rangers for that matter?
The anticipation was thick. The air was palpable and the fans were on the edge of their seats checking every Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, TSN, and MSG tweet and instagram post. The rumors ran rampant and the fans expected the New York Rangers to make a decision on both their immediate and long-term future.
Instead, they did the unexpected.
Unexpected turn of events
We should start off by addressing that the Rangers endured the best case of a bad scenario. Igor Shesterkin and Pavel Buchnevich narrowly avoided season-ending injuries. If anything can be learned from the experience – “Wear your seat belts, kids!”
As many of us know, driving in any of the five boroughs is the equivalent of playing Russian Roulette with all six chambers loaded. People reinvent lanes and the rules of the road on the fly and road rage is all the rage at any given moment. For the two of them to walk away with minimal injuries is a blessing from the Hockey Gods.
However, there is a conspiracy theory afoot (started right here and now by yours truly) that this car “accident” was no “accident.” (Extra emphasis on the air-quotes) Word on the streets of Brooklyn is that this was a hit put out by the New York Islanders. The Islanders have long-standing criminal relations with the Bravta family out of Brighton Beach and once Lou Lamoriello learned that Jeff Gorton wasn’t going to trade him Chris Kreider, Uncle Lou called in ‘a favor.’
Luckily, the Russian Mob refused to take out two of their fellow countrymen, so they settled with a ‘warning.’
All jokes aside, this is just an unfortunate turn of events. This event single-handedly altered what could have been a drastic overhaul of expiring contracts.
The three-headed goaltending elephant in the room
The car accident directly impacted one crucial trade scenario. Shesterkin, Alexandar Georgiev and Henrik Lundqvist are all proven number one goaltenders. Shesterkin had clearly won the starting position, despite the pedigree and credentials of the other two. His health made either Georgiev or Lundqvist (despite the no-movement clause) expendable.
Georgiev’s entry-level contract made him the most desirable belle at the ball for teams in need of goaltender. Colorado, Toronto and San Jose were all tied to Georgiev at one juncture or another and it was believed that the highest bidder would walk away with 24-year old.
Another scenario, though far more unlikely, involved the King himself. Henrik Lundqvist, if agreeing to waive his movement clause, was rumored to be a piece in a blockbuster deal that would send him and Chris Kreider to Colorado. The return was unspecified, but it would have been a major salary dump that the New York boys in blue could utilize this offseason.
All of this was negated by the the car accident. The Rangers opted to stand pat on both Georgiev and Lundqvist. Perhaps management feared that any major move would rattle the locker room even more than the car accident already did. Perhaps they felt that Adam Huska wasn’t ready to be an NHL backup. Perhaps there wasn’t a deal in place, but regardless – nothing happened.
Actually – retract that. Something worse happened. Lundqvist backed up Georgiev against the Islanders on Tuesday night. The New York Rangers have essentially said that Lundqvist is the third-goalie, which he may be, but it is disrespectful regardless. The inaction, despite circumstances, is an insult to the winningest goaltender in Rangers’ history.